Plastics Europe Deutschland e. V. final press release at K 2013

Expectations fully met: over its eight-day duration K in Düsseldorf was a focal point for the plastics industry and a motor for innovation within the sector. Voicing their initial response to the event plastics producers were very satisfied with how the world’s largest plastics fair went. “Once again this year K Düsseldorf was an ideal platform for reaching national and international customers and business partners,” stressed Dr Josef Ertl, Chairman at PlasticsEurope Deutschland e. V. adding: “For plastics producers it is true to say that firms exhibiting here meet exactly the right visitors – ones with technical know-how, decision-making powers and a willingness to invest in the future.” At the stands of raw material producers a variety of new contacts were made and existing business contacts were further intensified.
Forming focal points at the event were sustainable solutions to minimise the use of resources and cut process costs. For manufacturers the focus here lay particularly on the automobile industry, electrical engineering/electronics, transportation and packaging.
At the periphery of K over 50 representatives from companies in plastics manufacturing – together accounting for some 80% of global production capacities – agreed on a collaboration under the auspices of the World Plastics Council. Patrick Thomas, President of PlasticsEurope and CEO at Bayer MaterialScience, was appointed initial chairman.
A highlight at K was the opening of the special show by Joschka Fischer, Germany’s former Foreign Minister. Fischer called for more sustainability also mentioning both the past and anticipated future technological leaps in resource efficiency thanks to plastics. He was convinced the sector would be able to successfully rise to the challenges ahead.
Under the heading “Kunststoff bewegt – Plastics move the World” this special show at K in Düsseldorf displayed how plastics, as a material, move the world and not only in the literally sense. Using examples from different areas of life, the show demonstrated how people travel with the help of plastics and how goods can be quickly and safely transported. However, it also showed how art and design move us emotionally and how plastics applications can help to solve the global problems of the future. The VIP lectures and discussion panels met with particularly great interest amongst special show visitors. These lectures and panels once again highlighted the vast potential that plastics hold. Already for the second time now the Sunday of the fair very much centred on young people. At this special show socially committed pupils and students discussed career opportunities with representatives from the sector and talked about plastics as a means to solving the global issues of our times.